COVID-19 booster shots should be made available on a walk-in basis for eligible groups as the country enters the endemic phase and international borders are set to reopen to foreign travellers.
Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations president Datuk Dr Marimuthu Nadason said such an option should be offered alongside the MySejahtera appointments for frontliners, those with comorbidities and individuals above 40 years' old.
"Officers should be stationed at facilities where the shots are being administered, so that those who do not fall under these categories are denied entry, or if their three-or six-month immunity (coverage) after second Sinovac or Pfizer shots (respectively) have yet to lapse."
"When people are rejected, they must also be given an explanation in the interest of accountability," he told the New Straits Times.
He said too many people had died due to a dearth in vaccines and slow distribution of jabs, and a similar situation could happen due to the issues with booster shots.
This, he said, was especially crucial for the 9.3 million Sinovac recipients, as studies indicated that the immunity coverage for those who received the vaccine waned significantly after three months.
"There needs to be transparency on who is getting the shots, their ages and so on, as there have been anecdotal reports that those in their 30s who appear healthy are getting booster shots."
He also urged the Health Ministry to be transparent on no-shows, citing reports that 40 per cent of those who received appointments for booster shots under MySejahtera did not turn up.
"Is there a stand-by list that people don't know about and how do ordinary people get on it?" he asked, referring to claims of non-elected politicians and celebrities supposedly with comorbidities getting on the list in Perak and Selangor earlier this year.
Both states were experiencing sluggish vaccine distribution and limited supplies of doses meant for the elderly and those with comorbidities.
Marimuthu reiterated his call for boosters to be offered at a price at private facilities.
He, however, said the government must set a ceiling price and supplies for frontliners, high-risk groups and those in the B40 group must not be affected.
He said it was crucial for the authorities to focus on prevention, treatment and planning, including fiscal preparation, instead of vaccines and boosters.
Association of Private Hospitals of Malaysia president Datuk Dr Kuljit Singh said the authorities should look into MySejahtera and check whether there had been glitches that inadvertently snubbed the elderly or those with comorbidities who were supposed to receive booster shots.
"The next thing is to identify vaccine hesitancy and explain the backlash that this has caused on the administration of boosters. Since we are transitioning into the endemic phase and set to reopen (the borders), we can't address this without education and awareness.
"The government needs to look into studies outside booster shots involving Pfizer, while not restricting the mix-and-match options to the mRNA vaccine only. They should even consider giving out Sinovac as a booster for those who are hesitant towards Pfizer."
On the confusion over who gets on the perceived "stand-by list" for booster shots, he said: "When you run a vaccination centre and people don't show up, you have to do all you can within a limited time frame to use the shots. This is especially so for vaccines like Pfizer that need to be used immediately. This is why we have MySejahtera.
"There are six to a vial for Pfizer, so in the event of a no-show, the next person in the queue may be told to go home. Other vaccines, like Sinovac, is easier to manage, but that's why things like a crowd-sourced stand-by list sounds good on paper. But it is difficult to implement."
He said his mother, who is above 70, got a booster appointment as she was a Sinovac recipient. However, his father, who is 85 and a Pfizer recipient, had yet to get his appointment.